Man Jumps From Empire State Building- Page 3

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 12:23am

I have the sinking feeling it was "actor."

[DG]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 12:25am

Namo - if it was 'sinking,' it should have been a story of jumping overboard.

But I digress.

[kjklo]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 12:26am

Anyone who thinks the suicidal are just being selfish have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Whatsoever. In any way, shape or form.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 12:34am

Hmmm, well I stupidly tried to commit suicide when I was a teenager (and not just a vain threat - actually tried and almost succeeded if someone had not found me in time.) It is not something I am proud of, but something that happened and I must live with for the rest of my life. I do think it was a very selfish thing for me to do. I do understand, trust me, the feelings of no way out, complete depression, etc. It is a VERY, VERY sensitive and touchy situation. There is no right or wrong answer. But, I thank the stars every single day that something happened to reverse the process and that I am here today. Looking back, the depression while valid at the time was over very petty things. People in this world live lives 20x worse than I could imagine, and yet they soldier on each day.

But, to each their own.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 1:00am

Actually I am pretty sure that ACTOR doesn't have a job.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 1:07am

Sometimes people don't even realize they are on the path to suicide until they finally reach that point. And all they can think about is their unhappiness. It's a feeling that they are drowning. And when you are drowning it is just you and you alone.

And killing oneself is not easy. It's very sad when it happens, but the amount of will power (albeit negative) that it takes to kill oneself makes it all the more upsetting.

It's no wonder that someone who has lost many people in his life would look at suicide victims with such contempt. When you lose so many people who love life, it is hard to look at someone who was healthy and did not cope with life. And there's nothing wrong with that.

(On a lighter note, I snuck a Weill reference in there...)
Updated On: 4/14/07 at 01:07 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 2:13am

Sweet Q, you are wise beyond your years.
NOW there is clearly no hope left in this world.


If only you were in that situation.

Just because I don't exploit her like you do your "friend" doesn't mean it didn't happen.

In addition, unlike you, I didn't distort my friend's memory to make her out to be some martyr for what she did. I had to watch her mother have an emotional breakdown and lose her job, her parents divorce, and her older sister move home to take care of the younger sister that dropped out of the 7th grade to smoke pot and have sex with high school boys.

And that was just in the first year after her death. All because she willfully didn't take the medication for her (minor) mental illness and caused it to spin out of control. Yes, what she did was without regard for how her actions would impact others and therefore *selfish*.

Updated On: 4/14/07 at 02:13 AM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 2:32am

I'm 50000000000% with WannaBeAFoster on this one.

Elphaba, your comments are startlingly incorrect, ignorant, ill-informed, and just plain offensive. Educate yourself.

It's like saying being gay is a choice.

Now I KNOW you have something to say about that.

As someone who has dealt with both severe depression and the loss of others due to suicide, I think this is a very serious issue. You should be ashamed of yourself, Elphaba.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 2:35am

Well, skittles, since you believe you are always right and seem to know everything, I suppose there is no point in discussion/debate.

And I'm sorry to burst your bubble but I never made my friend out to be a martyr.

" Jane2: Sweet Q, you are wise beyond your years.
skittles: NOW there is clearly no hope left in this world."

Thank you for your close-minded opinion, skittles.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 2:40am

Sing it, sister.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 2:47am

Wow . . . just . . . wow!

[DG]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 3:23am

Let’s put the cards on the table.

I fought for years to find a way to be ‘acceptable’ – to live up to everyone else’s expectations. And after a couple of nervous breakdowns – one of which required hospitalization (because I was in the military – yet another attempt to fulfill expectation) – I just didn’t have any energy left. I COULDN’T face another day of need or want or desire by those closest to me, or society in general.

And so I made the choice to STOP MY PAIN. Yes, I realized the effect it would have on those around me, whom I loved. That’s why writing the letters that I did to each of them was agonizing. But I did write them, because in the end, we are responsible for our own existence. And if we can’t be at peace, then we have only ourselves to blame.

My question to those who want to play the ‘but what about US’ card is, “What are you doing for those who you might perceive to be in pain?” Of course, this is dependent on you realizing that they ARE in pain – which from your position of extreme narcissism is a delicate point, I’m aware.

I have found a path of growth, but it has been a LONG struggle, and a journey that doesn’t have a ‘Happy Ending’ posted in big bold letters. I was PISSED to realize that I still had to deal with all that had made me willing to walk away. And the sad truth is, much of what caused me to feel that way still exists.

But here I am, trying daily to cope. The LAST thing I – or anyone in my position – needs is to listen to the insistent braying of ‘but what about ME?!?’

Ultimately, that’s exactly my question – what about you? Tend to that, and let the rest of us tend to ourselves – without your overt need and/or judgement.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 3:42am

Well, skittles, since you believe you are always right and seem to know everything, I suppose there is no point in discussion/debate.

Thank you so much for admitting you were wrong for making the ridiculous and closed-minded assumption that I couldn't have possibly experienced the suicide of a friend just because I haven't splashed her picture all over BroadwayWorld. Her name was Chrissy and she came to school dressed up like Harry Potter the day the first movie opened in theaters.


And if you are in a place where one person’s presence decides whether or not you have an acceptable existence, then it isn’t the suicidal one that I would be worried about.

DG, I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Are you saying that the family and friends shouldn't be impacted by someone's suicide? Or that someone's decision to commit suicide shouldn't be impacted by the people "worth living for"? We don't live in a vacuum, so our lives and actions do have an impact on the world around us. I don't see how it's anymore narcissistic to be upset by the loss of a friend than for the friend to assume s/he is the only one impacted by the suicide.

Updated On: 4/14/07 at 03:42 AM

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 8:56am

I can't imagine the pain that someone must be in to seek to end their life, so I wouldn't presume to judge someone who attempts suicide.

What I can't help but think when I hear a story like this, is that in his desperation to end things, he chose a manner of doing so that could easily have taken the life of an innocent victim on the street below.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 9:40am

Sweet Q, you are wise beyond your years.
"NOW there is clearly no hope left in this world."

On this subject, Sweet Q knows what she's talking about. From what you and others have posted on here, it's clear there is a complete lack of knowledge on the topic.

Let me just say briefly that people with mental ILLNESS are truly diseased. They do not think the same way that you and I do. Don't assume to know what or how they think and feel and then make judgments such as you're doing.

Updated On: 4/14/07 at 09:40 AM

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 9:43am

"What I can't help but think when I hear a story like this, is that in his desperation to end things, he chose a manner of doing so that could easily have taken the life of an innocent victim on the street below."

I hear you, but I can only say that at that time of desperation, it may be impossible for the depressed to even think beyond their pain. Maybe selfish, but it's driven by disease and not a desire to kiil anyone but themselves. Same with someone standing or laying on railroad tracks.

I speak from experience from my mentally ill sibling.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 9:59am

munk, you can kiss my ass.......one can easily have an opinion without insulting someone who feels differently.
With you it's all black-white, right or wrong....so insult away, I could care less. When you grow up, little boy, maybe we can have a coherent disagreement.
Again, it IS easy to jump rather than deal with the issue. It IS easy to ask for help, rather than dwell in misery.
I have been around death way too many years to let someone as uninformed as you apparently are get to me. I cannot begin to tell you how many people I know who have ended their lives, and buddy I KNOW depression.....so get off your high horse.....and let me know when you can carry on an intelligent discussion (and NOT insult the person, but rather discuss the issue), maybe then we can talk again. until then you can fight without me

Updated On: 4/14/07 at 09:59 AM

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 10:17am

Elphaba, I have no issues with you, so please take this from me as a debate/discussion.

There are so many forms of mental illnesss that I can't cite them all. It could be voices in your head telling you what to do, or voices in your head which won't stop. It could be a clouding of the brain to the point of non-reasoning, If it were possible to understand the brain, we wouldn't have so much illness. It is not a matter of going to a friend or Priest for help. This is so much more serious and beyond that kind of clear thinking.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 10:21am

I don't believe it's easy to kill yourself. If someone is that deep in depression, it may seem to them that even if they did ask for help, no one would care. No one knows exactly what goes on in a suicidal person's mind, since everyone is different. In the case of this man, the method in which he chose to kill himself was selfish because he may have physically injured someone else.

It's a delicate issue, because, really, your life belongs to you and you have the ultimate say in it. But I can see both sides of the argument here, as of course those who care for the person will be devastated.

[DG]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:10am

"it IS easy to jump rather than deal with the issue. It IS easy to ask for help, rather than dwell in misery."

Those are pretty declarative statements, Elph - especially when you're trying to lambaste someone for viewing things as black-and-white.

And Skittles, I'm not saying it shouldn't impact - but I don't think it should be your life determining factor.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:12am

Jane, we are fine. I respect your opinion. Both you and shbrt make valid points, but I don't believe people suddenly wake up one day and decide to do this, somewhere, sometime I feel there was a point where I think they would go "Whoa, this is weird" and call someone, even if it's months before.

My best friend in high school, hung himself in his house over a girl. We had know each other 12 years, lived two houses away, and I was so pissed that he didn't say anything to me. And I had no idea, NONE that there was this inner turmoil........and watching his mother go through her process broke my heart.
I can't even imagine what brought him to that point.....and over a girl.
We talked about everything, except apparently that.
He was a gifted pianist, who probably would have made it big.
It was such a shame, such a waste that he took that from the world, and from his mother and friends. I still miss him, and a part of me is still upset with him. I just don't get it

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:18am

"it IS easy to jump rather than deal with the issue. It IS easy to ask for help, rather than dwell in misery.'

No. Those two actions are both the farthest things from easy.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:19am

"We had know each other 12 years, lived two houses away, and I was so pissed that he didn't say anything to me. And I had no idea, NONE that there was this inner turmoil........"

The end of the first sentence (and your whole "take" on this) is answered by the following one.

You had NO idea.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:21am

C'mon everybody...

Group Hug.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:23am

I can't even imagine what brought him to that point.....and over a girl.

You are a walking contradiction, Elphaba.

You "cannot even imagine what brought him to that point", yet you can toss it off by saying, "and over a girl" like you do in fact have it figured out - simple as that - exactly what was going through his head and why he killed himself.

Updated On: 4/14/07 at 11:23 AM